Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Student Isaac Visoutsy during a rehearsal with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sound

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Student Israel Lizarraga during a rehearsal with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Student Aaron Tam during a rehearsal with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Student Megan Wong during a rehearsal with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Student Megan Wong shares a laugh with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, during a session at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Professor Ernest Salem during a rehearsal with Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, center, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jan Talich, of the Talich Quartet, works with students at the Meng Theater at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Click here if you are having trouble viewing the gallery on your mobile device.Jan Talich, baton in hand, was sitting in a circle with six violin students and long-time music professor Ernest Salem to rehearse Stravinsky’s “Apollon Musagète.”

As he made suggestions to increase the tempo or even slow it down, the Cal State Fullerton students and professor frequently made notations on their sheet music.

“The Stravinsky is a wonderful piece but it is difficult to play,” said Talich, artistic director for the Czech-based Talich Quartet, after the Feb. 13 rehearsal. “Stravinsky wrote very complicated rhythms that are very jazzy and classical at the same time.”

The rehearsal session on the Meng Concert Hall stage was part of a week-long residency program the quartet has been doing at CSUF for the past 10 years. During the residency, there are rehearsals and individual lessons designed to prepare for a concert that has student musicians sitting side-by-side with quartet members.

On Friday, the Talich Quartet performed in Meng Concert Hall. Two days later, on Sunday, the quartet played with the University Symphony Orchestra.

The Talich Quartet worked with Cal State Fullerton music students during a residency Feb. 11-16. (Photo by Radek Kalhous)

The group, considered one of the world’s finest string quartets, was founded in 1964 by Jan Talich’s father, Jan Sr., and named in honor of his uncle, Vaclav Talich, chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1919 to 1939.

A friendship between Talich and Salem, who has been teaching music at CSUF for 30 years, led to the collaboration. The two met in London more than 20 years ago while studying with violinist Yfrah Neaman, but eventually lost touch.

The two reconnected when the CSUF university orchestra went to Prague on a tour. Salem brought up the idea of a residency.

In its initial years, the lessons and coaching involved only select students, Salem said. And then the two decided to open up the residency to everyone.

“The students love this, they look forward to it,” he said. “They get things out of it. I get things out of it. The quartet comes in and gives us a fresh approach.”

At the rehearsal, Samantha Vuong, a music education major, passed her violin over to Talich several times when he wanted to make a point by playing instead of talking.

“That was kinda cool, yeah,” she said after the rehearsal.

Vuong, who has been playing violin since the fifth grade and wants to eventually teach music in public schools, said she and the other students had been working hard on the Stravinsky piece.

“I’m not really used to it,” she said. “A lot of our music is old classical, it has rules and is pretty straightforward. But this is really confusing sometimes.”

Calvin Lin said he was enjoying Talich’s lessons on the “very nice, very jazzy piece.”

“It’s a challenge,” said the fifth-year instrumental and violin performance major and film minor. “It has a different perspective than what we usually get here, which is more logical, more technical.

“Talich has a perspective that’s more musical, more romantic, more emotional.”

It’s not just the students who learn during the residency, Talich said.

“We enjoy it every time,” he said. “It’s nice to play great music like this because it’s not every day you can work with the strings so much. Normally they are in a symphony orchestra. Here you can concentrate more on the specifics of string playing, string ensembles.

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